Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, directed by Omer Meir Wellber and staged by Andrei Konchalovsky, opens the sixth season at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.

•Plácido Domingo will sing Thaïs by Massenet and conduct the concert version of Le Cid by the French composer, in addition to two performances of Tosca

•The cultural center will feature leading conductors from the international scene such as Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, and emerging talents like Christian Vásquez, Andrea Battistoni, and Michele Mariotti.

•Zubin Mehta returns to the season with Mozart's Don Giovanni

Valencia (July 22, 2011) – Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov opens the sixth season at the Palau de les Arts Renia Sofía on November 5. Omer Meir Wellber, the new principal conductor of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, will conduct this production directed by the renowned Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky. The arts center will present six performances of this co-production with the Teatro Regio di Torino and the Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli e Teatri di Bari. Orlin Anastassov leads the cast of this classic of the Russian repertoire.

This was announced today at a press conference by Mayor Helga Schmidt, who revealed that the Palau de les Arts program for 2011-2012 will include a total of 14 operatic titles, as well as ballet, symphonic concerts, chamber music, film, exhibitions, dramatized readings and a comprehensive educational program.

“An extensive and diverse season, combining novelty and tradition, famous titles and lesser-known ones; young singers and international stars, with the highest quality as a common denominator,” Helga Schmidt emphasized.

In this regard, the Director praised this commitment to the highest quality within the current economic climate. Schmidt explained that the arts center has a budget of €17,800,000 for this fiscal year. The Director emphasized that cost optimization and the generous collaboration of conductors, stage directors, and singers are two of the pillars that have made “this ambitious 2011-2012 Season a reality.”

Rossini's music will grace the Main Hall of the Palau de les Arts for the first time in its history on November 22nd with La Cenerentola , the second operatic title of the upcoming season. The work will be presented in a renowned production by Luca Rondoni for the Rossini Festival in Pesaro. The cultural center has scheduled eight performances of this two-act "dramma giocoso," conducted by Michele Mariotti.

Milanese conductor Riccardo Chailly will join the list of great conductors who have led the Valencia Symphony Orchestra (OCV) with a concert version of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, scheduled for December 16 and 18, featuring Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and tenor Nikolai Schukoff in the leading roles. Chailly will return to Valencia to conduct an opera during the 2012-2013 season, Helga Schmidt announced.

Another leading figure in orchestral conducting, Valery Gergiev, returns to Valencia after his acclaimed performance of Berlioz's Les Troyens in 2009. The Muscovite will once again lead the OCV, the only Spanish orchestra he has conducted in his career, to perform Berlioz's dramatic symphony, Roméo et Juliette. The Russian conductor will then travel with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana to the Teatro Real in Madrid, where they will perform the same program. Furthermore, as part of an agreement with the opera house in the Spanish capital, the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, under the direction of Teodor Currentzis, will present Valencian audiences with a concert version of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta .

Zubin Mehta, president of the Festival del Mediterrani, is increasing his presence in the operatic offerings of the cultural center by conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni in January and February. The Palau de les Arts is reviving the production by the renowned conductor Jonathan Miller, which could not be fully presented in 2006.

Giancarlo del Monaco's acclaimed production of Manuel de Falla's La vida breve will return in March, accompanied by the original version of El amor brujo in Goyo Montero's stage and choreographic design. Omer Meir Wellber makes his debut in the Spanish operatic repertoire.

Plácido Domingo is increasing his presence in the activities scheduled for the 2011-2012 Season in his roles as both singer and conductor. Domingo will sing the role of Athanaël in the production that the opera house will present on March 25, commemorating the centenary of Jules Massenet (1842-1912). Patrick Fournillier, one of the leading authorities on the French composer's repertoire, will conduct.

As conductor, Plácido Domingo will lead a symphonic concert, in addition to a concert version of another Massenet work, El Cid, about a Spanish historical figure strongly linked to the city of Valencia. The tenor Jorge de León will portray the medieval Spanish hero.

Plácido Domingo will also conduct two of the seven performances of Puccini's Tosca, Jean-Louis Grinda's production, which the Palau de les Arts is reviving this season after its excellent reception by Valencian and international audiences at the recent Festival del Mediterrani. Omer Meir Wellber will conduct the remaining performances of Puccini's opera, which will run from April 1 to 22, starring Oksana Dyka, and Marcelo Álvarez and Jorge de León, who will share the role of Cavaradossi. Marco Vratogna will sing the role of Scarpia following his success at La Scala in Milan.

Helga Schmidt also announced the three operas that will make up the program for the 5th Festival del Mediterrani: Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore and Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Ottavio Dantone, for his part, will conduct the revival of L'arbore di Diana.

In the symphonic section, the Director explained that the arts center remains committed to combining emerging talents in orchestral conducting with established figures. Alongside the performances that maestros such as Zubin Mehta, Omer Meir Wellber, and Plácido Domingo will lead with the OCV this 2011-2012 season, the program also features the promising young talents of Andrea Battistoni and the Venezuelan conductor Christian Vásquez.

Plácido Domingo Improvement Center

Helga Schmidt used the press conference to express her gratitude to Alberto Zedda for his work as artistic director of the Plácido Domingo Centre for Advanced Studies. Schmidt highlighted the support of SERVEF (the Valencian Employment and Training Service) for this project, which plans to develop a more intensive program in the coming years. The Director emphasized her friendship of over 40 years with Plácido Domingo and said, “We want to support young people, especially at the beginning of their careers, which are the most challenging times.”

Furthermore, Schmidt noted that “the young Italian conductor Battistoni will lead the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in an opera from the Centre at the Teatre Martín i Soler.” The Director also confirmed that Ruggero Raimondi intends to dedicate time, as he has done in Paris and Salzburg, to teaching artistic expression to the young people at the Centre. He will arrive in September to work on interpretation, music, and spoken word.”

Open House

The Mayor has announced that, for the first time this year, the arts center will host two Open House events. The first will take place on October 2nd, and on the 15th of that same month, a new nighttime Open House will be held from 9:00 p.m. until the early hours of the morning.

Helga Schmidt noted that the Palau de les Arts welcomed over 3,000 visitors during the last edition of this activity. She also highlighted the importance of the Guided Tours, as more than 7,000 people visited the Palau between January and June, with 68% being international visitors and 32% Spanish.